In January of 2007, author and podcaster Bob Andelman sat down with David Simon, creator of the critically-acclaimed and Peabody Award-winning HBO series, "The Wire."

A former Baltimore Sun crime reporter, David is the writer that the Baltimore Chamber of Commerce no doubt loves to hate, having co-authored (with Edward Burns) the Baltimore-based book, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner City Neighborhood, and the subsequent HBO series, "The Corner." David also provided the inspiration and a number of scripts for the Baltimore-based NBC show, "Homicide: Life on the Street," which was based on another of his true crime books, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

In this fascinating interview, Bob and David discuss:

* How reality and fiction work together in David's dramas

* How his background as a journalist has enhanced his storytelling skills

* How he's able to write such realistic and compelling dialogue

* What he does to insure that his settings and situations are believable

* Why watching TV shows and movies isn't the way to research how people talk

* Why "The Wire" isn't interested in "good and evil."